Lead in soil

INDIANAPOLIS (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- We've heard a lot lately about the problem of lead in toys. Too much lead in the body can contribute to lower IQs, ADD and developmental delays in babies and toddlers. It can also cause damaged kidneys and nerves, impaired hearing, and joint pain. But toys may not be the only threat.

The soil in your yard could be tainted -- a danger to your kids.

"For the last year and a half, we've been taking samples from people's yards,"

Deborah Morrison, M.P.H., a M.S. candidate, from IUPUI School of Science in Indianapolis, told Ivanhoe.

Debby Jones is one of the residents whose soil is being checked for lead.

"I'm concerned of the effects it might cause in the children in the neighborhood," Jones told Ivanhoe. "That's the biggest concern."

Gabriel Filippelli, Ph.D., Professor of Earth Sciences at IUPUI School of Science, has been studying lead in soil. He says it can be especially dangerous for children.

"They pick up a rock, look at it, stick it in their mouth, pull it out, look at it again," Filippelli told Ivanhoe. "When they do that, they're absorbing a lot of lead from the soil."

How did the lead get in the soil? One culprit: paint on homes. Until 1978, lead paint was used on about 75 percent of houses.

Another reason: leaded gasoline that cars burned for decades until it was banned in the 1980s. It came out of the tailpipe, landed near the roadways and stayed there.

"So, any major roadway in any older city, you can go out and still find that signature of lead in the soil even though it was banned for 30 years," Filippelli explained.

"If there's something that's harmful to them, I'd like to know what I can do to take care of it," Jones said.

Until there's a better solution, simple measures like washing hands regularly, removing shoes before entering the house, keeping bare soil covered with sod or mulch and limiting exposure to contaminated areas could help keep Jones and others safe.

The next step for researchers is to find a solution. One option is to use automatic watering systems to keep the soil from blowing when it's dry. Another is to try aggressive landscaping to keep the lead-contaminated soil and dust in place. A more extreme measure in highly-contaminated areas is to completely remove the soil and replace it.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Anne Marie Chastain, Executive Director for Development and External Affairs
IUPUI School of Science
Indianapolis, IN
(317) 278-1051